Horse-detacher.



J. ZIMMBR.

HORSE DETACHBR.

APPLICATION I'ILED me. 18, me.

904,395. Patented-Ncv. 17, 1908.

UN ITED STATES PATENT FFlCE,

JOHN ZIMMER, OF GLENDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

HORSE-DEIACHR.

T0 aZl whom it may concem:

Be it known that JOHN ZIMMER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Glendale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have inventecl certain new and useful Improvements in l*Iorse-Detachers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to horse detachers, and the object of my invention is to provide simple and efiective means for releasing a horse or team of horses shonld the same become excited and run away.

My invention aims to provide a horse detacher that can be used in connection with the present type of vehicle, without detracting from the appearance of the same, or preventing a horse or team of horses from being safely hitched t0 a vehicle. To this end, I have devised a horse detacher adapted to be used in connection with the swingletree or svvingle-trees of a pair of shafts or tongue, a portion of said mechanism being carried by the dashboard of the vehicle, within easy reach of the driver, whereby a horse or team of horses can be easily and quickly released should the same become excited or a break down of the vehicle coeur.

My invention Will be presently described in detail and reference Will 110W be had to the drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the vehicle equipped with my horse detacher, Fig. 2 is a plan of a pair of shafts equipped with the horse detacher, Fig. 3 is a perspective vievv of the end of a swingletree constructed in accordance with my invention, Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the same, Fig. 5 is a plan of the forward end of a tongue constructed to be used with my horse detaeher, and Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the same.

.In the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the forward portion of the body of a vehicle having a drivers seat 2 and a clash board 8. This forward portion of the vehicle is supported by a spring 4 upon an axle 5, said axle having wheels 6 mounted upon the spindles thereof. Attached to the axle 5 by clips 7 is a pair of shafts 8 having a connecting bar 9 for a pivoted swingletree 10, the ends of said swingle-tree being enlarged, as at 11, for a purpose that Will presently appear. The pair of shafts is &

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 18, 1908.

Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

Serial No. 449,109.

provided with resilient clips 12 for detachably holding the backing straps 13 of the harness hitched to the vehicle. The traces let have the slots or eyes 15 near the hitch ends thereof, which are located at a sufiicient distance from the extreme ends of the traces, t0 permit the hitch ends of said traces being wrapped around the swingle-tree in the manner shown in F igs. 3 and 4, so that the slots or eyes 15 Will be brought in position to receive eye-bolts or keepers 16 which are carried by clamps 14 secured to the traces ad jacent their rear ends. These clamps comprise upper and lower members which engage the respective faces of the traces, the upper members 17 of the clamps being hinged at one end to the lower members of said clamps, and secured at the other end by bolts 16*.

To retain the hitch ends of the traces upon the eye-bolts 16, the swingle-tree is provided with pivoted bell-crank levers 17 having pins 18 adapted to extend through the eyebolts or keepers 16. The bell-crank levers 17 are connected by branch cables 18 t0 a main cable 19, said cable extending upwardly through an eye-bolt 19 carried by the lower front edge of the clash-board 8. The cable extends upwardly from an eyebolt 19 over a pulle; 20 carried by the upper edge of the daSh-b0ard and is provided with a handle or Weight 21 for normally maintaining the cable in engagement with said pulley. It is apparent that when the cable 19 is pulled that the pins 18 of the bellcrank levers 17 Will be withdrawn from the eye-bolts 16, to allow the hitch ends of the traces to slip from the eye-bolts 16 and release a fractions or run-away horse. The backing straps 13 simply slide off the ends of the shafts.

Vhere 1ny horse detacher is used in connection with a team of herses, the arrange ment is the same in connection with the swingle-trees, but the forward end of the tongue 22 is provided with two resilient clips 23, a ring 24 having two eyelet extensions 25 for the collar straps or chains (not shown) of a set of harness. It is evident that when the traces or buckles of a harness are released that a team of horses can readily leave the tongue 22.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, is 2-- 1. In a horse detacher, the combination with the clash-board of a vehicle body, a supporting axle thereof, and a pair of shafts attached to said axle, of resilient clips carried by said shafts for detaehably holding backing straps, a swingle-tree carried by said shafts and having enlarged ends, traces adapted to detachably encircle the enlarged ends of said swingle-tree, eye-bolts 1nounted up0n said traces, the hiteh ends of said traces being provided With slots to receive said eyebolt-s, pivoted bell-crank levers carried by said swingle-tree, pins car1ied by said bellcrank levers and aditpted to extend through said eye-bolts for holding the hitch ends of said traces thereon, branch oables connecting with said bell-crank levers, a main eable connecting with said braneh eables and extending upwardly over said clash-board, substantially as described.

2. In a horse detaeher, the eombination with a pair of shafts, and a swingle-tree carried thereby, of resilient clips carried by said shafts for holding backing straps, traces adapted to detachably eneircle the ends of said swingle-tree, eye-bolts carried by said traces t0 engage in slots or eyes provided therefor in the hitch-ends of said traces, pivoted bell-crank levers carried by the said swingletree and having pins a daptedto extend through said eye-bolts for holding the hitch ends of said traces thereon, and a cable conneeting with said bell-erank levers for moving the pins thereof and allowing the hiteh ends of said traces to slip from the eyebolts thereof, substancially as described.

3. In a horse detacher, the combination with a pair of shafts, and a swingle-tree carried thereby, of traces adapted to detaehably eneirele the ends of said swingle-tree and having slots or eyes, eye-bolts earried by said traces and adapted to engage in said slots or eyes in said traces, pivoted bell-crank levers carried by said swingle-tree and having pins adapted to extend tlnough said eye-bolts for holding the hitch ends of said traces thereon, and a eable connecting Wlll said bell-crank levers for 1noving the pins thereof and allowing the hitch ends of said traces t0 slip from the eye-bolts thereof, substantially as deseribed.

In testimony whereof I affiX 1ny signature in the presence of 'i'=\VO witnesses.

JOHN ZIMMER.

\Vitnesses CIIAS. KUTZNER, J OHN A. SOSSONG. 

